Cayman Islands Marine and Protected Areas
If you've ever snorkeled in Grand Cayman, you may wonder how does the coral look so colorful, the fish so plentiful and the water so beautiful. This beauty is preserved through a series of rules and laws to help protect these areas for generations to come. For example, the entire stretch of 7 Mile Beach is a marine reserve.
A marine reserve is an area that restricts taking anything from it, dead or alive. This allows the various species to reproduce and the coral to flourish. These reserves do not allow any boats to anchor, unless they are less than 60 feet and anchor only in the sand without impacting any coral.
In addition to the marine reserve, there is also an environmental reserve with a different set of laws. Environmental reserves prohibit taking any marine life, dead or alive and also denies any in-water activities at all. These areas can only be accessed at a speed of 5 MPH or less and there is no anchoring of any vessel allowed in environmental reserves. There are also several fishing zones and laws that locals abide by to help preserve the beauty.
You can view a map of the Grand Cayman Protected Areas at this link: https://doe.ky/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/web3_Grand_Cayman_Boundary_Maps.pdf
Cayman Islands Conservation Laws are in place to protect some of the most famous creatures the island has to offer. The first law pertains to lobster, which sees a closed season from March 1st to November 30th. Even during open season, there is a limit of 3 lobsters per person or 6 per boat per day. There is a size limit of a minimum 6 inch tail. The second law pertains to conch, which are found on the sea floor inside of beautiful shells. Conch season is slightly less restrictive than lobster season, with the closed season being from May 1st to October 31st. During open seasons, there is a limit of 5 per person or 10 per boat per day and only queen conch may be taken. People love to enjoy this delicacy fresh out of the shell, raw and soaked in a special Caribbean marinate, often spicy.
Turtles have their own set of laws, which prevent anyone from ever taking, disturbing or killing turtles in Cayman waters or on Cayman's beaches without a license. Finally, sharks and rays are also protected and may never be taken from the Cayman waters at any time. Penalties to all these laws can be severe, including CI$500,000 fines and four years in jail. However, if we all work together to follow these simple laws, then the Cayman waters will remain some of the most beautiful in the world for many more to enjoy.